The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-12-19
A REAL REPUBLICAN SPEECH.

a native of Louisiana, was born slave and
remained in slavery until freed by the war.
Since his childhood he has lived in Missis-
sippi, serving, since the war, justice of
the peace, member of the Legislature and two
terms in Congress. He was temporary chair
man of the national Republican convention in
1884, and is we'll known in political circles as
man of decided ability. Mr.. Lynch was
invited to speak on the suppression of the
Republican vote at the South, and his speech
powerful plea for political enfranchise-
ment. After apologizing to mugwumps and
weakened Republicans for referring to
subject that they might term 'the bloody
shirt, he proceeded to speak of Democratic
methods in the South. He said he spoke
from experience, having frequently been
candidate for Office in Mississippi. What he
should say was not Sin the nature of con-
lecture, guess an assertion, but absolutely
positive personal, painful knowledge" He
assured his hearers that such a thing as fair
election and honest count was unknown in
Mississippi. 1--WE go through the form of an
public officials, from presidential electors,
Governor and members of Congress, to county
and local officers named by Democratic
conventions, and "when the Democratic con-
ventions adjourn the polls are closed" If
Republicans, white or colored, think it worth
while to vote. their votes not counted.
Every county has Democratic returning board
that supervises the returns and fixes them to
suit emergencies tIn the State of Mississippi"
said Mr.. Lynch, ''there are at least 1000
more colored than white voters. Fully one
third of the white men vote the Republican
ticket when they vote at all, and less than
one-tenth Of the colored men vote the Demo
cratic ticket. Now then, you can easily
of the white men vote the Republican ticket
and less than one tenth of the colored men
vote the Democratic, there being 10000 more
black than white men in the State, that State
ought to be safely Republican" In view of
this fact the speaker said that with fair
election and an honest count Mr. Cleye-
land would have no more chance to
carry Mississippi than he would TO carry
Vermont or Ohio. He said candid Democrats
in the South knew that was so, and justified
ground that it was necessary to keep white
men in Office This is the old Democratic cry
of "white mans government" but Mr.. Lynch
said it was fraud, for eff we had perfectly
free, fair and honest ballot throughout the
South to-day, there would come up to Con-
eress and to all of the Offices as the result of
the colored vote majority of white men,"
Thus his plea was for the enfranchisement of
Southern Republicans and not merely of col
ored Republicans. The Republican vote was
suppressed because of politics, not because of
color. "It is not question of color" said
the speaker, 1T is question of party. They
count out not black men because they are
black, but Republicans because they are Re-
pub leans They count in Democrats not
because they are white but because they
Democrats, and they want the Offices" This
| state of things existed because public opinion
| at the North tolerated it, and it would con-
| tinue to exist until the Northern people were
aroused to a realization of the situation. The
! election of Cleveland by the Mississippi plan,
giving him the electoral votes of at least three
| Southern States to which he had absolutely
| no claim whatever, was construed as in
| dorsement of Southern methods and license
| to continue them. He regarded this as the
| paramount question before the country to-
! day and beyond comparison more important
| than the tariff question. As long as the pres
ent state of things continued neither the tariff
nor any other question could be fairly settled.
"What does it profit you," he said. 'to get
the judgment of the people on the tariff
| question, the judgment of Pennsylvania,
| Rhode Island and Massachusetts, and New
| York, if that judgment is to be set aside
through the suppression of tho popular judg-
ment in one half of the States of the Union7"
| Again he asks: What is the of making
the tariff an issue if the people are not allowed
to decide upon It'll What is the use of having
the majority of this people in favor of pro-
lection when you allow the minority to de-
| feat that will by appointing men to Congress
| instead of electing them?" We have given
| only a general outline and few of the salient
points of the speech, which was terrible and
| evidently truthful revelation of Southern
politics. 1t shows that the solid South means
| nothing more nor less than the overthrow of
republican government in several States.
/ Popular elections do not exist there. Such a
| thing as fair election and honest count
is unknown. 1t is reign of force and fraud